Kunming

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Kunming 昆明市
Prefecture-level city
From top, left to right: Downtown Kunming, Dian Lake, Beijing Road, Kunming Golden Horse Memorial Archway, Kunming Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center
Nickname(s):  City of Eternal Spring Tuodong City, Yachi Fu, Yunnanfu
Location of Kunming City jurisdiction in Yunnan
Kunming Location in China
Coordinates (Yunnan People's Government): 25°02′47″N 102°42′34″E / 25.0464°N 102.7094°E / 25.0464; 102.7094
Country	China
Province	Yunnan
County-level divisions	14
Township divisions	137
Settled	c. 279 BC[citation needed]
City seat	Chenggong
Admin units	List Chenggong Panlong Wuhua Guandu Xishan Dongchuan Anning Jinning Fumin Yiliang Songming Shilin Luquan Xundian
Government
• Type	Prefecture-level city
• Body	Kunming Municipal People's Congress
• CCP Secretary	Liu Hongting
• Congress Chairman	Yan Zhengxiao
• Mayor	Liu Jiachen
• CPPCC Chairman	Xiong Ruili
Area
• Prefecture-level city	21,473 km2 (8,291 sq mi)
• Urban	4,013 km2 (1,549 sq mi)
• Metro	2,622 km2 (1,012 sq mi)
Elevation	1,892 m (6,207 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[1]
• Prefecture-level city	8,460,088
• Density	390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
• Urban	5,950,578
• Urban density	1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
• Metro	5,604,310
• Metro density	2,100/km2 (5,500/sq mi)
• Rank in China	16th
GDP[2]
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 754.1 billion US$ 111.2 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 88,193 US$ 13,008
Time zone	UTC+08:00 (China Standard)
Postal code	650000
Area code	0871
ISO 3166 code	CN-YN-01
License plate prefixes	云A
Climate	Cwb
Home to	Karst wonders
Website	www.km.gov.cn
Symbols
Flower	Camellia japonica
Tree	Magnolia denudata

Kunming
"Kūnmíng" in Chinese characters
Chinese	昆明
Literal meaning	(transcription of an ancient tribal name)
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kūnmíng Bopomofo ㄎㄨㄣ   ㄇㄧㄥˊ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Kuenming Wade–Giles Kʻun1-ming2 Tongyong Pinyin Kunmíng IPA [kʰwə́n.mǐŋ] Wu Romanization Khuen1min1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gwān-mìhng Jyutping Gwan1-ming4 IPA [kʷɐn˥.meŋ˩] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Khun-bêng

Kunming^[a] is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China.^[4] It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The city was of great significance during World War II as a Chinese military center, American air base, and transport terminus for the Burma Road. In the middle of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is at an altitude of 1,900 metres (6,234 feet) above sea level and a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer. The city is the fourth most populous city in Western China, after Chongqing, Chengdu, and Xi'an, as well as the third most populous city in Southwestern China after Chongqing and Chengdu. As of 2020 census, Kunming had a total population of 8,460,088 inhabitants, of whom 5,604,310 lived in its built-up (or metro) area made of all urban districts but Jinning, not conurbated yet. It is at the northern edge of Dian Lake, surrounded by temples and lake-and-limestone hill landscapes.

Kunming consists of an old, previously walled city, a modern commercial district, residential zones, and university areas. The city is also one of the major centers for scientific research and education in Southwestern China. As of 2023, it was listed among the top 125 cities in the world by scientific research output.^[5] The city has an astronomical observatory, and its institutions of higher learning include Yunnan University, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming Medical University, Yunnan Normal University, Yunnan Agricultural University and Southwest Forestry University. On the northeast mountainous outskirt is a bronze temple dating from the Ming dynasty, the largest of its kind in China.

Kunming is also one of the major economic centers in Western China. The city's economic importance derives from its geographical position, as it shares a border with various Southeast Asian countries, serving them as a transportation hub in Southwest China, linking by rail to Vietnam and Laos, and by road to Myanmar and Thailand. This positioning also makes the city an important commercial center of trade in the region. The city also acts as a gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia, the Kunming Changshui International Airport is one of the top 40th-busiest airports in the world.^[6][7] The headquarters of many of Yunnan's biggest corporations are based in the city. Kunming also houses some manufacturing, chiefly the processing of copper, as well as various chemicals, machinery, textiles, paper and cement. Kunming has a nearly 2,400-year history, but its modern prosperity dates only to 1910, when the railway from Hanoi was built. The city has continued to develop rapidly under China's modernization efforts. Kunming's streets have widened while office buildings and housing projects develop at a fast pace. Kunming has been designated a special tourism center and as such sports a proliferation of high-rises and luxury hotels.

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